Paul j



(No Model.)

P. J. SOHLIGHT.

- BILL FILE. No. 338,788. Patented Mar. 30, 1886.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PAUL J. SOHLIOHT, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO SOHLIOHT & FIELD,OF SAME PLACE.

BILL-FILE.

fiPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 338,788, dated March30, 1886.

Application filcd October 1, 1884.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, PAUL J. SoHLIeHr, of Rochester, in the State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFiling'Oabinets; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this specification.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved construction infiling cabinets or cases for letters or papers adapted to receive anumber of filingreceptacles or files; and it consists in the mattershereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

The invention is herein illustrated in connection with that class offiles having a flat baseboard, which is provided with two vertical wiressecured in the said base-board near one end thereof, and with two archedand movable transfer-wires arranged end to end with the vertical wires,so as to form therewith two equal arches in parallel planes, and inwhich the arched wires are so constructed that the curved or archedportions may be swung away from the vertical wires to open the archesand admit the papers, as hereinafter more particularly described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of atemporary file constructed in accordancewith my invention as it appearswhen removed from the cabinet with which it is used. Fig. 2 is aperspective view of a cabinet for holding six files, showing one of thelatter removed from its place, and another partly drawn out. Fig. 3 is ade tail section illustrating a form of cabinet havings stops upon theside walls of the file-compartments thereof for holding the file whendrawn partially out.

As shown in the drawings, A is a cabinet or filing-case, which isdivided by suitable horizontal and vertical strips or partitions, u. a,into a series of compartments, each of which is adapted to receive afile, (indicated in the drawings by 13,) the cabinet shown beingprovided with six of such compartments. The said file B consists of abase-board, 0, made of approximately the same width as the compartmentsof the cabinet, so that it may freely enter the latter, and provided atits end that is toward the back of the cabinet when the file is insertedWith suitable paperholding devices, and at its opposite or front endwith a vertical board, D, attached to the front edge of said base-boardat right angles thereto, and adapted to close the outer end or openingof the compartment when the file is inserted to its full depth, thepurpose, of said board being to exclude dust from the compartment, andto give a neat and finished appear ance to the front of the cabinet whenthe files are in place therein. The boards D are desirably provided withknobs or handles (1, to be grasped by the hand in drawing the files fromthe receptacles, and said boards may be provided also with suitableframes or receptacles, d, for cards indicating the contents of thefiles.

The paper-holding device illustrated in connection with the file shownin Figs. 1 and 2 comprises two vertical parallel receivingwires, E E,which are rigidly secured in the base A, and two rigid transfenwires, FF, located back of the wires E E, and rotatably mounted in a base-plate,G, attached to the baseboard C. The upper portions of the transfer-wiresF F are bent or arched, as shown, so that the ends of the said archedportions meet the ends of the wires E, and the wires E and F togetherform two equal arches in parallel planes adapted to be opened and closedby a rotary motion of the vertical parts of the wires F in thebase-plate G, by which movement the said wires F may be swung laterallyaway from or toward the wires E. The ends of the wires F are preferablyconstructed to swing outward away from the receivingwires E,- meansbeing provided for connecting the said files F within the base-plate G,which are so constructed that when one arched wire is turned the otherwill also be turned in the opposite direction.

The wires arranged as described operate in a well-known manner to enablea portion of the papers held upon the file to be thrown backwardly fromthe wires E to the transferwires F, so that the latter wires may berotated to open the arches, and additional papers inserted between thoseupon the file or a portion of the papers removed from the file at anyplace desired.

Other means than the particular holding devices herein illustrated andbefore described 5 may obviously be used for securing the papers to thebase-board O with advantageous results;

but the said holding devices are preferred in practice for severalreasons.

An advantage exists in the use of two re- IO ceiving-wires, as E E, forholding the papers, either when said holding-wires are used inconnection with the arched transferring-wires herein shown or withoutsaid transferringwires, for the reason that the papers are held by suchreceiving-wires centrally upon the board, so that they are not liable tobecome disarranged, and to thereby project beyond the edges of theboard, so as to encounter the sides of the compartments when insertingthe files therein.

When the vertical receiving-wires are used without thetransferring-wires, as above mentioned, transfer-tubes or other similarwellknown devices may be used in removing a portion of the papers fromthe said wires and replacing them thereon when it is desired to remove apaper from, or insert onein, the papers upon the file.

In the use of my device, when constructed 0 with archedtransferring-wires, as herein shown, the file is usually withdrawnentirely from the cabinet and placed upon a fiat surface, so that aportion of the papers thereon may be thrown backwardly upon the re- 3 5ceiving-wires in a well-known manner when taking a paper from or placingone on the file. When, however, it is desired to onlyinspect a paper orletter upon the file, thelatter may be drawn outwardly, as shown in Fig.2, and supported at its front end with one hand, With its rear endresting upon the horizontal cross-piece a, dividing the compartments,and the papers may be conveniently manipulated with the other hand.

i In examining the papers upon the filein the manner last abovedescribed, said file will usually be drawn out farther than is shown inFig. 2, and the papers above the one that it is desired to inspect arethrown backwardly upon the arched part of the transferring-wires andallowed to rest against the front of the cabinet.

.In Fig. 3 the side walls of the compartments are shown as provided withL- shaped bent metal guides or stop-pieces I, located near the frontface of the cabinet and adapted to rest against the upper surface ofthe-side margin By the use of said guide-pieces I the file may obviouslybe. drawn out and its contents 'examined without removing the fileentirely from the cabinet, and in case a construction of the V holdingdevice in which transfer-tubesor other devices are used instead of thearched wires shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the papers may be placed upon andremoved from the file when .lines at I in Fig. 3, will obviously servethe same purpose as the metal stop I, above described, and the saidstop, or the strip, when the latter is used, may be located at one orboth sides of the compartments.

found to be sufficient to properly support the file. In all cases thestop or, strip is located at a suificient distance inwardly from thefront of the cabinet to permit the board D to enter the compartment adesired distance, as is clearly shown in the lower part of Fig. 3.

In the use of the stop or strip the bracket H at the side of thebase-board adjacent to the said step or strip may be absent; or, whensaid bracket is present, it may be set in from the edge of the board asufiicient distance to prevent its contact with the said step or stripwhen the file is thrust inward, such position One only of such stops orstrips in each compartment is v of the bracket being indicated in dottedlines in Fig. 1.

Instead of providing the board D with knobs or handles d, as beforedescribed, the said board may have at its upper edge a curved or othershaped recess, as indicated in In the class of paper-files heretoforeusually used in connection with filing cases or cab"- inets containingcompartments for a. number of such receptacles, a receptacle. has beenused for containing the papers, having a bottom and three sides andprovided with indexleaves secured to the side or wall of the .receptaclewhich is toward the front of the cabinet when the file is insertedtherein, so that it .becomes necessary to'remove the file'entirely fromthe cabinet and turn it around before the papers can be convenientlytaken out or inspected. In my construction,-the p apers, being fastenedto the base-board at the rear end of the latter, are obviously inposition for inspection when the file is drawn out, and the absence ofany side pieces upon the base-board enables the papers to be much morereadily manipulated and inspected than is possible in files of thecharacter described as heretofore constructed.

5 A construction of the file in which only one standard orreceiving-wire, or one receivingwire and a corresponding arched wire areused instead of two of each of such wires, as herein shown, maysometimes be used wit-h to advantage in connection with the fileconstructed in other respects as above described. A construction inwhich two receiving or receiving and transfer wires are used, or anequivalent single wire made thin and broad,

r5 so as to prevent the papers from becoming displaced laterally attheir free ends, is, however, usually preferred, for reasons abovestated.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination, with a filing case orcabinet, of a file comprising a base-board provided with a paper-holdingdevice at its inner end and a vertical board at its opposite or outerend adapted to close the front opening of the cabinet when the file isinserted therein, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, with a filing case or cabinet, of a file comprisinga base-board having one or more receiving-wires at its inner 0 end and aboard at its opposite or outer end adapted to close the front opening ofthe cabinet when the file is inserted therein, substantially as and forthe purpose set forth.

3. The combination, with a filing case or 5 cabinet, of a fileconsisting of a base-board provided with a vertical board at its outerend adapted to close the front opening of the cabinet, and with apaper-holding device at its opposite or inner end, comprising one or 0more stationary receiving-wires and one or more arched transfer-wires,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I affix mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

PAUL J. SOHLICHT.

\Vitnesses:

GEO. B. SELDEN, W. H. H. OLAGUE.

